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TO: States, DC, Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and tribal agencies administering the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Program and other interested parties.

SUBJECT: Electronic Submission of TANF Plans and Amendments

REFERENCE: “Final Notice to Announce the Implementation of Required Electronic Submission of State or Tribal Plans.” Federal Register, Vol. 78, No. 190, October 1, 2013, 60285-60286; Sections 402 and 412 of the Social Security Act.

PURPOSE: To remind states, DC, Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and tribes (which are hereafter referred to as TANF jurisdictions) that as of October 1, 2013, TANF renewal plans and amendments must be submitted electronically to the Administration for Children and Families’ (ACF) Online Data Collection system (OLDC).

BACKGROUND:
In the past, ACF has allowed TANF jurisdictions to submit their TANF renewal plans and amendments in both paper and electronic formats (via email). On June 28, 2013, ACF announced that recipients of mandatory grant programs will be required to submit TANF plans electronically, entering the SF-424M form into ACF’s OLDC system.
On October 1, 2013, ACF’s Office of Administration issued a Final Notice requiring the use of ACF’s OLDC system for electronic submission of state and tribal plans (78 Federal Register pp. 60285-86).

INSTRUCTIONS:

As of October 1, 2013, TANF jurisdictions must electronically submit their TANF renewal plans, signed Governors’ (or delegated authorities’) certifications (according to the renewal due date of the plan), and plan amendments through ACF’s OLDC system. TANF jurisdictions must also include the SF-424M form with their submission. TANF amendments for those jurisdictions that have not yet submitted a TANF renewal plan into OLDC are to be submitted outside of the OLDC system according to previous procedures. Once a TANF jurisdiction has submitted its TANF renewal plan electronically into the OLDC system, it must then submit plan amendments into the OLDC system electronically. A PDF version of the SF-424M application form can be found on the Grants.gov website at:

This is a standard form (OMB Number: 4040-0002) required for submission of state, territory, and tribal plans and amendments (see Attachment/Sample Form- ACF Instructions for Completing the SF-424M).

In order to submit its TANF plan renewal or amendments, TANF jurisdictions must complete the SF-424M form, attach the TANF renewal plan or amendments (PDF or Word format suggested) to the completed SF-424M form, and upload them into ACF’s OLDC system. Similarly, if a TANF jurisdiction must make any changes to a plan or amendment before it can be deemed complete/accepted (for states, DC, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands) or approved (for tribes), the TANF jurisdiction must submit another SF-424M form with any final revisions to the TANF renewal plan/amendment. This means that jurisdictions that are revising their plans or amendments will have to make both their original submission and any final revisions to that submission within the OLDC system using the SF-424M form.

As per the Final Notice in the Federal Register, ACF will accept submissions outside these standard requirements if unusual circumstances warrant exceptions. “Final Notice to Announce the Implementation of Required Electronic Submission of State or Tribal Plans.” Federal Register 78:190 (October 1, 2013) p. 60285, (4).)

INQUIRIES:

Please direct any inquiries to the appropriate TANF Regional Program Manager.